Week of Mon, Apr 23rd, 2012

Walgreen Co. is offering pertussis immunizations at its approximately 275 points of care in Arizona as health officials in the state are urging residents to make sure they're vaccinated against whooping cough.

Retail pharmacy's role with accountable care organizations (ACOs) is among the hot topics in health care, and Sav-Mor Franchising is performing due diligence to gauge its participation in that area of health care reform, president and chief executive officer Richard Grossman said.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores voiced its support for the Senate legislative package that will serve as a starting point for the reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA).

To cultivate their role as health care providers, community pharmacists must provide value to patients beyond the clinical benefits of the medicine they've been prescribed, according to Chuck Wilson, vice president of pharmacy operations for Health Mart.

For the chain drug retailing sector, the next several years or more will be crucial, according to Steve Anderson, president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has recognized Andy Giancamilli, former chief executive officer of Katz Group Canada, with the Sheldon W. Fantle Lifetime Achievement Award and M. Jerome Brown, former vice president of industry and customer development at Unilever, with the Robert B. Begley Award.

Well over 90% of Internet drug outlets don't comply with U.S. pharmacy laws, in turn driving prescription drug abuse and misuse and facilitating the entry of counterfeit medications into the U.S. drug supply, a study by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) found.

Walgreen Co. has launched a new online tool that lets customers choose a pharmacist by matching their health care needs with the expertise, specialties, languages and clinical backgrounds of Walgreens pharmacists.

The Ontario Pharmacists' Association (OPA) called an Ontario government plan to cut pharmacy reimbursement for generic drugs misguided, noting that such a move would mark the second such reduction in two years.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has elected Greg Wasson, president and chief executive officer of Walgreen Co., as the new NACDS chairman and announced the election of other new officers, a new executive committee member and five new board members.

Government and health care decision makers are exhibiting a rising appreciation of the role that community pharmacy services can play in improving the quality and lowering the cost of health care, National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson said at the NACDS Annual Meeting.

As National Association of Chain Drug Stores chairman Bob Loeffler sees it, the record-breaking participation in this year's NACDS RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill shows the effect that proactive member engagement can have.